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Apparel retailer H&M and home furnishings and decor chain Crate & Barrel are opening their first Utah stores Friday at Fashion Place mall in Murray.
H&M will open its doors at noon on Friday. The first 500 shoppers get gift cards valued at $5 to $500, store officials said.
Because a line of shoppers often forms hours before an H&M store opening, the mall is opening an indoor entrance corridor next to H&M at 4 a.m. so that shoppers don't have to wait in line in the cold, said Celeste Dorris, Fashion Place general manager.
H&M, short for Hennes & Mauritz, is a value-oriented fashion retailer that carries women's, men's and children's apparel, accessories and maternity clothes. It has collaborated with a number of major designers; a collection by Versace debuts later this month.
The chain's appeal: trendy and traditional clothes at moderate prices, says Melea Johnson, an H&M fan who blogs at Freebies2Deals.com. " Their prices are amazing," she said. "Instead of spending a fortune at other stores, you can get the same type of styles at H&M for a fraction of the price."
Both H&M and Crate & Barrel were putting the finishing touches on their stores at 6191 S. State St. Thursday afternoon.
"We finally found the right place in Salt Lake City," said Mary Fisher, regional trainer for Crate & Barrel. "Fashion Place has great traffic. We have the best location fronting State Street that anyone could ever have."
Fisher said the store lineup on the west side of the Murray mall also was a draw for Crate & Barrel, which opens at 10 a.m. Friday. "We have great neighbors with Apple, H&M and Nordstrom," she said.
Perhaps more importantly, population on the Wasatch Front has grown enough to attract many national retailers that require a large customer base. New Crate & Barrel stores, for example, need an area population of at least 800,000 to 1 million people, Fisher said.
In addition, she said, Crate & Barrel has noticed a significant volume of online shoppers from the Salt Lake area. Dorris, of Fashion, said many retailers now use cyber sales as a gauge when considering store openings.
Crate & Barrel and H&M join the new "luxury wing" of Fashion Place. Apple was the first to open a store in that wing this summer. Also opening Friday are Loft, a retailer of women's fashions; outdoor clothing store The North Face; and Bastille, a men's and women's designer apparel store.
Already open are fashion accessories retailer Brighton Collectibles; women's clothier Ann Taylor; Teavana, a store that sells and serves tea; and The Art of Shaving, a high-end accessories store. BRIO Tuscan Grille restaurant recently opened in that area of the mall as well.
During the economic downturn and slow recovery, Utah's comparatively strong economy has added to its attraction for retailers, with Fashion Place tapping into that trend.
In 2009, the 138,000-square-foot Nordstrom store opened on Fashion Place's north side, replacing an older and smaller store. The new Nordstrom led a major improvement and expansion effort at the Murray mall.
Fashion Place's "luxury wing'' takes flight
H&M, Crate & Barrel, Loft, The North Face and Bastille will open new stores Friday at the west end of Fashion Place mall in Murray. Located at 6191 S. State St., the mall is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.